


Standing Outside The Fire

by Skyline (skybs)



Category: The Sentinel
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2001-05-16
Updated: 2001-05-16
Packaged: 2017-10-24 16:28:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/265543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skybs/pseuds/Skyline
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jim turns 40.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Standing Outside The Fire

**Author's Note:**

> Written with McLara!
> 
> First published in the fanzine "The Sensual World", MKASHEF Enterprises, May 2001.
> 
> (Sometime before “The Sentinel by Blair Sandburg”.)

_Standing outside the fire_

 _Standing outside the fire_

 _Life is not tried, it is merely survived_

 _If you're standing outside the fire_

 

Standing Outside The Fire by Garth Brooks

 

 

40.

Four. Zero.

Soon it would happen. Just a few more days and he was finally hitting the big 4-0. In about a week to be correct. All the years before he never had a problem with his age, but this year it was different. Blair Sandburg, an enthusiastic anthropologist who had conquered his life and heart like a whirlwind, was the reason... and the 10 years difference in age.

Ten years; that was the main reason why he never had told his partner that he had fallen in love with him... and of course the fact that the younger man was hopelessly straight-as-an-arrow. Life just wasn't fair!

Frustrated Jim rolled to the other side of the big bed, still, the thoughts about his best friend wouldn't go away. In fact, they seemed to increase. Without wanting to, his thoughts began once again to circle around the famous "What if..." questions. What if Blair were older? What if **he** were younger? What if Blair was bi? What if Blair was to tell him he loved him?

And slowly he fell into an uneasy sleep.

A soft moan escaped his slightly open lips.

Jim turned restlessly, ignoring the rustle of his sheets. Taking one pillow, he pressed it against his hot, sweaty body. Another groan growled in his throat and was muffled by the fabric of the pillow.

"Hmmm...Blair."

Waking from the sound of his own voice, Jim opened his eyes with a silent cry of frustration. He was alone – as always – and there were another few hours until he would face his partner and best friend again.

It was always the same. For weeks now, his partner’s face haunted him in his day-dreams. The adorable smile and those twinkling blue eyes destroyed his logic and burnt more and more holes in the icy shield around his feelings. Those full, soft and promising lips were driving him crazy. Sighing, he closed his eyes. Not even during sleep was he able to escape.

In his dream he would feel the slender, long fingers caressing his body. Softly, like a gentle breeze, they stroked over his face down to his chest and muscled stomach.

The velvet like fingers, never tired of their journey, wandered further down till they reached the waistband of his boxer shorts. Pliant and soft, as if they were small snakes, the tender fingertips slid under the waistband gliding lower, lower...

...oh, so much lower!

Playfully, the seeking fingers sneaked into the tender nest of his pubic hair until they reached their goal. Strongly, they closed around the hot flesh of his cock.

A deep groan escaped his throat as in his dream his lover's fingers started to stroke up and down. The rhythm of his – yet Blair's – hand increased even more, while the other one pinched his nipples hard.

Panting, drops of sweat formed on his body. Slowly, the familiar feeling of his orgasm built, making him moan with ecstasy.

Slowly, the waves of his climax eased off. He sighed. He could always give his body the satisfaction it longed for, but it would always be the unsatisfied longing of his own heart that he craved.

How much he’d like to embrace the object of his dreams and affections. He’d bury his hands in the curly hair that smelled like exotic herbs. His lips would taste and caress the warm, soft skin right at the pulse point. How much he would like to fall asleep with Blair in his arms.

After a long time, he finally managed to turn his thoughts in another direction. Still exhaust from his recent orgasm, he mechanically grabbed for the package of tissues on his night-stand. Once again it was empty even though he had refilled it a short while ago.

A bitter thought shot through his mind, _Much more of this and I’ll have to buy more tissues or just bring a washcloth with me the next time._

Sighing softly, Jim stood up. Without bothering to turn on the light, he walked soundlessly downstairs towards the bathroom. In front of Blair's room he stopped for a moment. The door was slightly open and he couldn’t help but open it completely.

Curiously, he looked into the grad student's chaotic room. The bed was rumpled. The blanket lay half way on the floor, giving the sight free of the sleepers narrow waist and lovely shoulders. The beautiful, relaxed face was framed by curly, dark hair.

While sleeping, thought Jim, his partner looked even younger, more innocent and much more fragile. Almost like an angel, who had fallen from heaven onto earth.

Again passion surged through Jim. Swallowing hard, he realized too late that this noise could wake his friend, but Blair slept deep and undisturbed. Relieved, Jim took a deep breath. For once he was happy that **he** was the one with hyperactive hearing. Finally, he left the room without covering the younger man with the blanket.

Now he needed a shower – a **cold** shower.

 

[][][][][][][][]

 

Blair stood in the kitchen, preparing breakfast. He hummed softly under his breath in order to distract himself from Jim's perfect body, as his roommate left the bathroom wearing **only** boxers.

"Morning, Chief."

"Morning," replied Blair, trying hard not to stare at the perfect rounded ass of his friend, as Jim filled his cup with freshly made coffee. Didn't this man have any sense of shame? On the other hand, his **very male** partner, fortunately, hadn't the slightest idea that Blair, Jim's **very male** Guide, had fallen in love with him.

To top it all, for the past few days Jim hadn't been in the best mood. It seemed that even the slightest thing had the capability to let the older man explode. And as usual, Blair was caught in the middle. Still, there had to be something to cheer the Sentinel up – but what?

"Sandburg, you trying to burn down the house?"

The angry voice felt like a hit to his face. He watched numbly as Jim eased the smoking pan off of the stove and put it into the sink.

"Uhm, I'm sorry. I'll make new..."

"Don't bother... I’m not hungry, anyway. I’ll just have coffee." With that, Jim trudged upstairs.

 _This'll be a_ _ **very**_ _long day_ , Blair thought, sighing.

 

[][][][][][][][]

 

Half an hour later they were on their way to the station. Like the drive, the whole day was held in silence. Fortunately, they were just doing paperwork all day long...and Jim's mood got worse. For once Blair wished for a little bit of action so his tense partner could blow off some steam.

Trying to calm Jim down, Blair went down to the store at the corner for Jim's favorite donuts. Since there were a lot more people in the store than Blair had thought, it took longer than calculated. _Damn it! By now, Jim'll wonder where I am – not really the best way to raise his mood._

Finally, Blair jogged back to the station, only to run into Simon Banks, who was on his way out. Frowning, the captain of Major Crimes looked curiously at the panting young man.

"Sandburg, what are you doing here? I thought there was a lot of paperwork upstairs."

Blair's cheeks colored even more than they were after the run through the fresh air. Somehow he felt guilty.

"Uhm, yes...right and I'm **so** late. Jim's already waiting for me. He's a bit grumpy today."

With that, Blair hurried in the direction of the elevator. There, he impatiently pressed the button, hoping to escape one of Simon's feared speeches. Unfortunately, fate wasn't so merciful, just as the doors opened the big, dark-skinned captain stood beside him. Banks also entered the cabin and pushed the button for their floor.

Sighing silently, Blair tried to make the best of it. Maybe Simon had an idea what was wrong with his friend.

"Simon, can I ask you a question? Do you know what’s wrong with Jim? He's ready to explode and he’s as jumpy as a cat with a burning tail even when everything seems to be okay. He’s been depressed and frustrated and I can't find out what's bothering him. I’ve already tried different meditation techniques with him without success. I’m running out of ideas."

Simon looked at Blair thoughtfully. He had also noticed that his detective's temper wasn't exactly harmonious. Resigned, he shrugged.

"He’s simply over-worked. If it were possible I'd've given him a few days off a long time ago. Unfortunately, the earliest I can give him some days off is sometime next week. First he has to make his appearance at court for the Morley case – after all, he's the main witness. I know that he needs his vacation... especially with **this** birthday hanging over him."

Blair looked at Simon, frowning. "What's so special about this birthday?"

The lift stopped with a gentle 'ping'. However, before Blair could get out, Simon restrained him. All too aware of the highly sensible hearing of the Sentinel, he didn't want Jim to get one glimpse of this conversation. Pressing the button for the next floor, he let the elevator drive on.

"He’s turning **forty** ," Simon tried to explain to the young man, after the doors had closed again, "and I still know how lousy I felt back then." Absently he reached for his leather case and grabbed a cigar.

“Are you saying that Jim’s heading towards a mid-life crisis?”

Simon shot him a dirty look. Ignoring Blair’s comment, he went on, "When you hit the big 4-0 it's like an invisible wall in your life. You look back at your life, wondering what you actually achieved and suddenly you know that from now on everything's going down hill."

The lift stopped again. Without a word they got out and went slowly towards the staircase to get to their final destination. Lost in thought, Simon played with his cigar without lighting it and said, "Back then, my marriage was already a lost cause and I don't know what I'd have done if Daryl hadn’t been there."

All of a sudden he realized that he had spoken aloud. Grumbling he added, "But you're too young to know about such things... now get back to work!"

Blair tried not to show how proud he was that Simon had trusted him with something so private.

"Oh man!" Blair jumped urgently down the stairs. "Jim'll probably chop my head off, if it gets even later. See ya, Simon!"

Smiling, the captain watched the younger man, who disappeared with flying hair from his view. He knew, if somebody was able to cheer up his best detective, it was Sandburg.

 

[][][][][][][][]

 

Jim couldn't concentrate on the forms in front of him. For the umpteenth time he looked at the clock.

 _Sandburg, where the hell are you?_

Closing his eyes, Jim took a deep breath and listened attentively but couldn't find his friend’s familiar heartbeat. Blair was already over fifteen minutes late.

 _He’s probably flirting with some...some chick again,_ he sighed frustrated and lookedaround. _How could_ _ **I**_ _compare to so much attractive estrogen? I have no boobs and I’m already a grumpy old goat. No wonder he escaped, after all I wasn’t exactly the poster-boy for friendliness today._

Dissatisfied and annoyed, Jim crumpled up the sheet of paper he had just printed out. Again, he felt the anger slowly ascending inside him. Another fifteen minutes passed by and still no Blair.

 _Just wait, Sandburg. Your ass is mine_ , he thought grimly and groaned softly when a small, spiteful voice in the back of his head mocked, _No doubt you'd like to have his ass!_

Frustrated, Jim rubbed one hand over his eyes. He wanted Blair. The small, spiteful voice was right. He wanted to play with those long, brown curls and wanted to bury his face in them. He wanted to feel the soft skin and taste its spicy, salty aroma. He wanted hot, passionate sex up to unconsciousness but that wasn't everything. Jim wanted the whole package – heart and soul. If it was just the sex he wanted, he could get it anywhere.

Lost in his thoughts, he didn’t notice his friend had approached his desk until Blair placed his hand on Jim's shoulder. "Jim, everything all right? I'm sorry that I was gone for so long. I want..."

Startled, Jim looked up. "Damn it, Sandburg, where have you been? I've got a whole shit load of files to do and you're flirting through half of the precinct."

Jim received no answer but he didn’t need to. He could read Blair's face like in an open book and he saw how much the harsh words had hurt his friend. Instantly, he regretted them.

Blair looked at the ground and placed the brown paper bag he held on Jim's desk. Then, like a beaten dog, he sat down and began, without lifting his eyes, to work.

Jim was furious, but this time at himself. _You idiot! Do that just a few more times and all you'll see from Blair is a cloud of dust when he leaves you so fast you can't even blink twice._ Just as Jim searched for a believable excuse for his behavior, a wonderful smell coming from the bag standing in front of him teased his nose. Now, he felt even guiltier... if that was at all possible.

"Sandburg, you brought me donuts with buttermilk glaze?"

Blair didn't move.

"Oh Chief, I'm sorry." The frustration was evident in Jim's voice.

The only answer he got was a nod. _That went well... Not! Do something, Ellison!_

"Since you already brought us some food, I'm getting us some fresh coffee, okay?"

"Okay." Blair lifted his head only for a moment, not looking at his partner, then his whole attention returned to the documents lying before him.

"Chief, I acted like a complete asshole and I’m sorry."

Blair peeped through his long hair with his big eyes before he bowed his head hastily again.

Jim bit his lip, scolding himself for losing control. It wasn't Blair's fault that he was the way he was – friendly, intelligent, helpful, charming, emotional, cute – in short... sexy and simply irresistible.

Now, he looked miserable and, although Blair avoided looking at him, Jim knew how much his words had hurt him. Jim saw it in his eyes. The usually sparkling eyes now seemed reddened and suspiciously moist and his full, pouting lips attempted a small smile. "Already forgiven."

Jim would’ve gladly kissed all the pain from this face or at least embraced the smaller body, but not here in the bullpen in front of his fellow officers. So he just smiled.

Suddenly an idea shot through his mind, lightening his features. Yes, he would do it exactly like that. He got up, pocketing his cell phone without attracting Blair's attention. He was anxious to hear what his partner would say, when he received his peace offering.

 

[][][][][][][][]

 

After Jim had gone, Blair let out a soft sigh. Simon was absolutely right. Jim really needed a change of scenery. The older man just acted this way when he was afraid or totally rattled, two words that weren’t easily associated with the picture of one Ex-Army anger and Police Detective.

But why was he scared? Blair could hardly believe that everything could have to do with Jim's approaching birthday. Mid-life crisis? _Nah,_ he shook his head, _Jim's too much of a control freak._ Undoubtedly, there had to be much more to depress him.

Somehow he had to find out what was pre-occupying the older man so much. But how? Questioning him, wouldn't be the best move right now. Jim would only tear off his head again – metaphorically speaking.

A sad smile played on his lips at this thought. It was undeniable. He just couldn't live without this stubborn man. Blair sighed – stubborn – what an **understatement**!

 

[][][][][][][][]

 

Drawing a deep breath, Jim softly closed the door to the break room. Fortunately, nobody was there. Nevertheless he fully checked out the room before he got out his cell phone to accomplish his mission.

While discussing the details with the florist, he squeezed the headset between head and shoulder and poured Blair and himself each a mug of coffee. After everything was settled, Jim thanked the friendly vendor, ended the conversation and returned with both mugs to his desk. With an apologetic smile, he passed one of the cups to Blair.

For the rest of the day there was an uneasy silence between the men that no one dared break.

 

[][][][][][][][]

 

The first thing that caught Blair’s attention, when he stepped into his office at Rainier the next morning, was the imposing green plant sitting in the center of his desk. Through the green, a plush gorilla gazed sweetly at him, holding grapes in his hands. In front of the heavy terra-cotta pot leaned an impressive, giant greeting card addressed at him.

Who could have sent him such an unusual present? Maybe it was a misunderstanding and this gift wasn’t meant for him – but his name was written on the envelope… Curiously, he opened it and started to giggle hysterically as he read:

 

 _  
**Nobody can change this:**   
_

_  
**Roses are red & violets are blue**   
_

_  
**and I know for sure**   
_

_  
**that I couldn’t survive**   
_

_  
**without having you!**   
_

 

 _  
**For this reason I dare ask you**   
_

_  
**to give me just a chance,**   
_

_  
**and please do not bark.**   
_

_  
**Forgive this stubborn, big old ape**   
_

_  
**and, by way of apology, I offer these grapes.**   
_

 

 _  
**I’m really, really sorry.**   
_

_  
**Jim**   
_

 

After the young man had calmed a little, he carefully took the surprisingly large gorilla from the plant, looking down at it, thoughtfully, "Well, what should I do with you?"

Of course, the gorilla was no great help, it just looked big-eyed and trustingly at him – just like Jim did whenever he didn't know what to do with his senses. Oh yes, the gorilla reminded him very much of his partner; stubborn, territorial, dominant and wild. However, when you knew how you had to handle him, he was gentle, understanding, sensible, and considerate.

This powerful aura and self-confidence Blair had learned to admire and later to love. With a smile, he firmly pressed the fleecy fellow to his heart. Sighing, he stroked over the tender fur. "If I can't cuddle the real Jim I at least have you now. Hmmm, J.J. – James Joseph, sounds nice – now we'll see what we can do for your alter ego."

 

[][][][][][][][]

 

Jim awoke from the pattering noise of raindrops against the skylight. The lousy weather fitted his bad mood perfectly.

Today was **the day** and as if that wasn’t already enough, Simon had also **kindly** given him today off. Jim had tried every possible way to make his birthday as normal as every other day and consequently tried to ignore it, but Simon wouldn't hear of it and had threatened him with a month of desk duty if he even dared to come near the precinct.

His boss really knew how to make a bad day worse. Jim just hoped that at least Sandburg wouldn't make a fuss about this birthday.

During the last days, the tense atmosphere between them had relaxed a little bit –mostly because of his peace offering that Blair had found simply "hilarious" – but still, the younger man seemed to stay out of his way as much as possible and was only rarely at home.

On the one hand, he was glad of it because that way he could avoid tricky conversations. On the other hand, he missed his friend and Guide, who was, strangely enough and in spite his vivacity, the single constant and calm thing in Jim's life.

In spite of his free day, he didn't want to spend all the time in bed and got up around 9 am. Dressed only in boxers, he wandered down the stairs. Like usual recently, Blair had already left the loft hours ago. On the kitchen table he found a short note:

 

 **I’m all day at**

 **the university.**

 **I’ll probably be**

 **late again.**

 **Don’t wait for me.**

 

 **Blair**

 

 _Thank god_ , he thought, relieved and yet depressed. Listlessly, he went into the bathroom for his daily routine.

After he'd taken a shower and had dressed, he sat down on the couch with a cup of coffee and began listlessly to surf from one television channel to the next. After 10 minutes of annoying cartoons mixed with TV shopping, he switched the tube off and picked up a book that didn’t hold his attention either. More from boredom than necessity he started to clean the loft from top to bottom and from left to right.

Three hours later even a Sentinel couldn't detect any dust. Unfortunately that also meant he had nothing to do anymore. Frustrated, he grabbed a beer and sat down on the couch again.

An hour and three beers later he wasn't much calmer than before. He was just on his way to the fridge for yet another bottle of beer when the impatient ringing of the phone fetched him out of his self-pity.

Hoping to get an emergency call from the precinct, he grabbed the headset before the second ring. "Ellison."

The first thing he heard on the other end was the loud lapping of raindrops on a roof which was then complemented by a strange noise before the familiar voice of his partner reached his ear.

"Uhm, Jim, it's me, Blair..."

"Blair?" Jim immediately knew that Blair wasn’t in his office, although he had said he would be. Cold terror crawled up his back, the “Blessed-Protector-Syndrome” kicking in.

"What happened? Where are you? Answer me!" he couldn't banish the panic from his voice. Slowly, the seconds trickled by before Blair spoke again.

"Jim, calm down."

"Calm down?!? What the hell are you doing? And don’t tell me you’re in your office...I know you’re not! What happened? Where the hell are you – I'm already on my way."

"I'm in the greenhouse the Chopec had their camp in back then and... ouch! Damn it..." Further words were only recognizable as a muffled murmur.

Hastily, Jim threw the receiver onto the phone and was on the way to his truck with warp speed. In his mind one horrifying scenario followed the next and each new one appeared worse than the previous.

In record time Jim reached the old warehouse, where the gigantic greenhouse was located. Before his truck had come to a complete halt the Sentinel was already on his way up, his weapon in one hand, first-aid-kit in the other. Gasping, he reached the upper floor after long, torturous minutes.

Strangely familiar noises, and yet so unusual for the city, reached his ears from the glassy hall in front of him. Jim frowned. _What the hell's going on here?_

He recognized the chirping of crickets and twittering birds in addition to the rain falling continuously. He heard the gentle murmur of a creek and a crackling campfire. Sighing with relief, he tuned out the city sounds in favor of those wonderful new ones. Without Blair, however, he didn't want to rely on his senses too intensely – the danger of a zone-out was simply too strong. He already wanted to turn back, when he finally heard what he’d been searching for; the heartbeat of a human being.

Unconsciously, Jim also extended his sense of smell. Yes, his Guide was here. He clearly recognized Blair’s incomparable spicy aroma. But also the prominent odor of adrenaline lay in the air and still another faint smell, which he nevertheless recognized; the metallic, sweet-sticky smell of blood.

Jim's heart missed a beat at the pictures of horror in his mind, but he put them aside as fast as possible. Blair was hurt and needed him, nothing else counted. He walked deeper into this artificial jungle.

He was just about to call out for his Guide, when he noticed the unusual sight in front of him: a perfectly arranged forest camp.

On the ground lay a big blanket and a picnic basket full of a variety of delicious smelling foods. There was also a chilled bottle of wine. The warm light of a comfortable campfire flickered behind. At a secure distance to the fire stood a tent with two sleeping bags placed carefully side by side. The plush gorilla, which wore a much too big tropic helmet, sat on one of them.

 

[][][][][][][][]

 

In the meantime Blair wasn't so sure it had been the right thing to bring his friend here. And that a splinter had rammed into his finger during his phone call with Jim, had been in fact an unfortunate coincidence.

When he saw Jim, out of breath, with the first-aid-kit and gun in his hands, storming towards him, he felt even more guilty. "Jim? Uh, I'm really sorry...I didn’t mean to scare you."

Speechless and aghast, Jim gazed at him.

Wiping his hands nervously over his pants, a mad thought shot through Blair's head, making him almost laugh. _Why did he bring his gun? Oh yeah... to kill me._ He swallowed hard as his friend still didn't move. With the vague hope of freeing himself from this awkward situation, he started to talk again.

"Look, I know you need some free time, so I thought... Jim, are you listening? Good! So I thought... since it's also your birthday... and I didn't know what to give you... and you don't really like a big celebration... that you'd maybe like a nice dinner. Actually, I wanted to take you on a camping trip... but Simon wouldn't give you the whole weekend off... and since it ought to be very special..."

Jim still gazed in consternation at him and Blair was sure that his Sentinel hadn't even blinked with his eyes during the last few minutes. Nervously, he stammered, "I didn't want to frighten you... really! And that damn splinter in my finger was just a stupid accident, honestly... and I just know that you're going to say 'Sandburg, shut up'... I'm really sorry... anyway… Happy Birthday, Jim."

 

[][][][][][][][]

 

The older man closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. Struggling with his self-control, he said unevenly, "This is for...me?" _It had probably taken a lot of time, arranging everything. And this all just for_ _ **me**_ _?_

Amazed, Blair looked at him. "Sure!" A tender blush filled his face as he softly added, "Lately, you've been so tense and absent-minded. I wanted to give you the chance, for at least a few hours, to escape from the chaos of the world outside."

"Blair, I... I don't know what to say… it's just so complicated..." Resigned, he shrugged. He simply didn't know what to tell his friend.

"Jim, I can take it if you're in a bad mood and bellow at me, but I can't bear to see you unhappy or for you to shut me out. You just mean so much to me." Blair's voice was even softer and before he could keep on talking he took a deep breath and looked at Jim with a strangely intense expression.

"If you need more space, I'll give it to you and move out. If you want to end our partnership, I'll burn my dissertation and promise to give Simon my consultant I.D. tomorrow..."

With horror, Jim listened to Blair. "What the hell are you talking about? What makes you think that I don't want you as my partner?"

"But... I thought..." Blair stuttered. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and started again. "Recently, you've been so closed up – even more than normal. I can't take it – I can accept everything else, just not that. Please, don't shut me out. Don't you know that you're the most important person in my life? I don’t want to loose you like that."

Jim noticed a single tear rolling down Blair's cheek. He swallowed, _God, what have I_ _done?_ Instinctively, he stepped closer to Blair, gently wiping off the tear with his thumb. He could feel every detail of Blair's skin and also the tense shaking rolling through his partner's body.

The younger man opened his big, deep blue eyes and looked astonished and with hope –and love? -- at him. The returned glitter in Blair's eyes filled Jim with a comfortable, warm feeling. Obeying an inner urge, he bent his head and gently dropped a kiss on Blair's cheek, hugging the smaller man close to his body.

Looking deep into each others eyes, almost drowning in them, they stood there for a while, a silent communication going on between them. It was almost like they were trying to read each other’s mind; a sparkle of understanding flying between them. In that instant, Jim knew he couldn’t help but tell his friend how he felt – how much he needed and loved him.

"Even if I wanted to, I wouldn't be able to send you away – **never**. I need and love you too much to do that. The only place you're going is to **my** bedroom," Jim whispered into the nearest ear and added a soft “If you want me.”

"Oh, Jim, **of course** I want you, you stubborn old ape!” Blair beamed up to him. “You have no idea how long I’ve hoped to hear those exact words from you."

He felt Blair's arms come around his neck and the smaller, but strong, body press against his own. Surprised from the sudden outburst from his beloved bundle of energy, he sealed the younger man's lips with his own.

His hands wandered slowly down Blair's back, pulling the shirt out of the waistband. At last he could feel the silky skin of his soon-to-be lover... and he wanted more. Gently, he shifted the unnecessary clothes away.

After long minutes, in which both of them tore off their clothes, the two of them sank down to the blanket that lay on the ground without ending their kiss. Reluctantly, Jim broke the contact with the full, irresistible lips, admiring the body that lay in front of him in all his glory.

“I love you,” he whispered, before he started to nibble his way down Blair’s magnificent body.

Soon they moved in an unstoppable rhythm, covered with the sweat of passion. The gentle groaning of pure pleasure becoming louder was like a drug to Jim and he couldn't get enough of it. The harmonious and fast coupling brought them both more and more to their goal and even though they knew what to expect, the intense climax blew them away.

Exhausted, Jim rolled satisfied to his back. Immediately, the younger man snuggled to his side, whispering a soft "I love you, too" before he fell asleep. Smiling, Jim pulled the sleeping bags over himself and his lover. _Birthdays like this I can get used to and it's_ _much better than standing outside the fire,_ was Jim's the last thought before he also drifted off to sleep.

 

 _There's this love that is burning_

 _Deep in my soul_

 _Constantly yearning to get out of control_

 _Wanting to fly higher and higher_

 _I can't abide_

 _Standing outside the fire_

 

Standing Outside The Fire by Garth Brooks


End file.
